Flush tank



-July 2s, 1936.

F. J. BRANNEN FLUSH 'IANK Filed May 164. 1935 2 sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

i @AN/f J, SPAN/VEN BY m, Mm

ATTORNEYS.'

July 28, 1936. Y l F J, BRANNEN 2,048,674

FLUSH TANK Filed May 16, 19:55 2 sheets-snaai 2 I v A INVENTOR. v fA/v/f J BRAM/EN BY Y.

aza, Mon/@0M ATTQRNEYS.

Patented July 28, 193.6

FLUSH TANK Frank J. Brannen, Lyndhurst, Ohio, assig'nor of one-half to Glenn A. Toaz, Cleveland, Ohio, and one-half to David P.' Robertson, Cleveland Heights, Ohio Application May 16, 1935, Serial No. 21,744

13 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in ush tanks.

One of the objects of the invention is the provision of means for holding a buoyant valve' piece out of the way of the flushing water until the latter is discharged from the tank.

Another object is the provision of means for decreasing the rate of flow of water being discharged after the necessary flushing action is completed, the slower flow serving to refill the bowl of the toilet with which the tank is used.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a valve lifter at the bottom of the tank sealed against the leakage of water.

Still another object is the provision in a pressure tank of means for sealing the partition between the air and water chambers, utilizing a iloat which has the additional function of closing a port in an auxiliary compartment employed for holding the discharge valve ball off its seat.

Other objects and features of novelty will appear as I proceed with the description of those embodiments of the invention which, for the purposes of the present application, I have illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is an elevational View partly in Vertical section of an air pressure flush tank.

Vend of the valve lifting rod.

Referring first to that form of the invention which is illustrated in Fig. 1, I have shown a flush tank having an upper air chamber or compartment I and a lower water chamber or compartment I I. Preferably the tank is constructed of steel, the lower compartment II having a unitary element I2 comprising top and sides pressed out of sheet steel, and a bottom element I3 anged and welded to the element I2. The top of the element I2 constitutes a horizontal partition for the tank as a whole. In this partition, preferably at the central point, there is an upwardly extending dome I4 with an air port I5 therethrough. The upper compartment I0 is formed of a single element I6 which is preferably pressed steel and has an offset flange around its lower edge tting over the element I2, and welded thereto. The upper compartment III is an air-tight compartment except for the port I5.

A water intake pipe for the lower compartment PATENT oFFICE is shown at I1. I8 is a shut-off valve which is ordinarily open. In the bottom wall of the water compartment there is mounted a valve cage I9 in which there is threadably mounted a bushing having a circular valve seat 2I upon which a Vbuoyant valve-piece 22 normally rests, this vvalve piece being preferably a hollow rubber' ball. However, the seat could be'soft rubber .and the ball a hollow metal one, if preferred. At the bottom of the Valve cage there is a plug 23 threaded into the cage. The periphery of a .flexible diaphragm 24, made preferably of soft rubber, is clamped between the plug 23 and an annular shoulder on the valve cage I9.

The plug 23 has a central port in which slides a valve lifter rod 25. This rod also projects through the center of the diaphragm 24,'to which it is clamped by collars 26 and 21, so that the joint is liquid-tight. The upper end of this rod is provided with a dished spider 28 which extends into the central opening of the bushingZU, standing normally Va. short-distance below the bal1f22 vin position to unseat the ball when the rod is lifted by pressure on the lower end thereof, which pressure may be exerted manually directly upon the rod or through anysuitable operating connections. f

At one side of the cage I9 there is an integral extension 29 (Fig. 3) adapted to receive Ya -pipe 30 through which the water is discharged.

The bushing 20 is reduced somewhat on itsAupper side to t into the lower extremity of a lhollow guide column 3|, these two-parts being preferably welded or soldered together. Slightly above the level of the plug the column 3| has a series of water passages 32 therethrough whichV capacity Vwith a small port 34, the column 3| being liquidtight between the openings 32 and the port Y34. A float 35, preferably in the form of a hollow soft rubber ball, is adapted to close and seal the port 34 when the liquid level in the tank descends sufficiently toY permit that action. The same ball is also adapted, as shown in Fig. 1, toclose the port I5 at Ythe bottom'of the air chamber Ill when the chamber II is filled with water. The upper end of the column 3I .serves as a retainer and guide for the ball 35.

Around the lower end of column 3|, and preferably concentric therewith, is a dam v36 which I term a-rell baille ring. This ring is attached to the bottom'element I3 of the tank and extends upward well above the openings 32 in the column. 1 It is'spaced from theV columna distance sufficient ,Y to permit a maximum ow of water through the openingsY 32. Nearkthe bottom of the ringr'there `are one or more openings A31 which are somewhat restricted in size, so that the flow of Water through them is less than'the capacity of .the openings32. Y .The operationY of this Yform of the invention is as follows;

I Vin air; chamber vIl) being compressed to approximately two atmospheres; the compartments I :and II Vasshown being approximately equal` in size. i NowQwhe'n it is desired to perform Va flush- Y unseat Vvalvepiece 22. ,'Water then ,immediately Y flows vunderneath the valve piece, and the 'water f ing operation, the rod is lifted suiciently to Y.pressure onthe same `is fequalized below'iand fabove; Thevalve piece, being `lighter thanV water, 'then rises to the dottedline position. lVaterY now flows rapidly through the wideannularpa-ssagebetweenjthe ring 36 andthe column 3'I`and through the openings 32` inthe column and the l, Ajcentral opening in bushing 20, and thence out V`50:.water ceases;V l. e

' VAt the startof the flushing operation, or as soon as .the float 35 Vmoves downwardly away from portI I5; Vthe pressure of the air in chamber throughjpipe 33 with a flushing action. A small quantityof water, also flows downwardly through -rport34 and columnI and outof the tank. This latter flow continuesuntil the level of'water in Y 'the tanksdes'cends -suciently to permit ball 35V Ltofseatitsel-f upon vthe; partition or closure 33 'when the port k34 is closeda-nd sealed. Thereafter therw'ater in column 3| is; retained therein,fbe

cause ithere is nopressure on the top of .the

water in the column. This flushingY action Vor rapid lwater flowgcontinues until the YlevelH of rwater'inVV the tank reaches "the'top of .dam 36. Then the flushing action ceasesfthe rate of dis.-

chargeV of V*water Vbeing'decrea'sed. 'I'he Vslower owithereaftergmis used to rell the ybowlof a .toilet orother-receptacleito which the tank is connected. Itisnot until the level of waterin* kv'the'.,tanlz descends: toI the tops of the passages VY32 that lairjbegins'tobubble up Vinto the column Y3'I and permit the Vdischarge of the waterein the Y column. With the flow of water downwardly t ,I out of the column the ball 22 Vof course descends and finally seat-s itself; by` its own kweight upon Ythe valverseat 2I", whereupon they discharge of 4011s `exerted upon the vsurface of the waterinV the-chamber I'I,*thereby hasteningfthe flow'of .water outjof ther-tank. This pressure of'gcourse gradually decreases asV the water level descends, but .it has more or lessgeil'ect `throughout the flushing operation. Water begins to 'enter the tank through pipe IIgas soon as theV Vflushing action begins, butrithe Ysize of the pipeV I'I is. such thatfthis rate of `entryis muchslower thanthe rate; ofV discharge. V.After the`ball 22 seats .itself Y i uponthe valve seat. 2 l, theY chamber I I 'gradually giills.V YDuring this operationfaismall quantity of Qairmay be drawninto theY tank` throu'ghan air induction tube38, thus replacing anyair Vthat .'may havefbeenV carried out along with the water. Theltub'38 may beV used forA antiseptic'purposes. .`;;At. themoment the discharge valve closes the chamber II Y is ofV coursefilled Vwith air... Asthe water level ris'esgair is forced through port I5 into 4'chamberl I0," and 'it VwillV be' apparent that when fthe ychamber] I. is` entirely' filled with lwater'- 'the Assume .that the parts'are in *the "condition shown in full lines in Fig. 1, the Water Y Vchamber II being lled Withwater, and the air space occupied bythe air in the tank has then'V4 been reduced approximately one-half, so that the `air in chamber Itis then under pressure of substantially two atmospheres. In this pressure type of tank a considerable saving of water may be accomplished due to the fact'that a siphon seal in the toilet bowl isobtained quickly because ofVr the rush of water under air pressure.Y

In Fig. 2 I have showntheinve'ntion as applied Vto a gravity tank, which in this instancel is illustated as a horizontal cylinder 39 adapted to be filled entirelywith water. e are substantially thesameas those above de'- scribed, except that the column 3IA is somewhat longer because of the greater height of the water compartment. At the top ofthe tank I have provided a dome 40 having a central air vent 4I',`

Vwhich mayV have a .connection with a venttube The operating parts 42 through which leakage of water maybe cared for in the event'that the Vball 35 should become faulty and fail to entirely seal the ventV 4|.'1'The operation of this form ofthe inventiontis .pre-'1 cisely the same as that of Fig. 1, except that fdischarge `of water is-by gravity 'onlyY rather than under air pressure'.Y

In Fig. 4'the construction' and operation are :somewhat different. Injthis form of the invention there-is a valve cage v43, which may beof Va rather large size since it may be called upon `to discharge the function of supporting the tank.

The tank in thisV caseisa vertical cylinder IIIV of .a fairly considerable height in order to contain the requisite amount of water.

It is united With the valve cage by a water-tight joint. At its upper Y end the cylinder hasa head 15in which is formed Ya lcentral dome 46 with an air vent 41 adapted bushing 48 with a central openingfandavalve seat 43 of sphericalfcontour'for the receptionlofv `the buoyant ball valve piece 22; This .bushing carriesra guidecolumn 3IB similar to the guide columns 3|' and 3IA, but of'greater length because of ythe greater height 'of the tankMLf The ball 221s adapted to be `unseated by a lifter rod 5U, similar in all respects to the rod.25 except that it is ofjgreater length.` At the bottom fof the` column V3IB :there are a series Vof passages' `5I of suicient size and number to accommodate the necessary'flow of water for the .flushing to be closed and sealed by the hollow ballzfloat 35.

Threaded'into theA valveY cage 43 there; is .a

action. 'Ihere 'is-no ring dam in this form of the invention, its functions being! carried out in Y this case by the tall column 3IB.

-When the flushing actionV starts` it continues until all of the water outside'of the columnf3IB has passed out ofthe tank. The waterY in the column below partition 33 is retained because of 4the Y closing of port 34 by ball valve .piece r35.A When Vthe level of water outside of vthe columnvrdescends vto the passages 5I, theV fiushing actionfbeing ended at that timeyair beginsV to-bubble--upp through those `passages into the column 3IB.`

- This action is a comparatively slow one, Vand hence the discharge of the water in the columnV is not rapid, but israt a rate suitable forbowl reflling- Thelquanmtylof'water is sus@ sumcient for this'purpos'e.Y Y f l tion the plug 23 is madre oflarg'er diameter than lthefbushing 20 or" 4'8`,f as thecase maybe, andV `that the bushinglis made Ylarger than the column Y Y 3|,f 3 IA, 3IB, and that consequently these various r parts may be withdrawn from the tank throughV vthe bottom thereof -for servicing or replacement,Y

The invention is not limited in its -useto water-V .Y 1t win be noted that in au remis of'theinve- `closets andthe like, but is applicable to other apparatus, `for instance as a `laundry tub refilling means or as a liquid measuring device.

In the foregoing description'I havenecessarily gone somewhat into detail inv order to explain fully the particular embodiments ofV the invention herein illustrated, but I desirev it'to be understood that suchdetail disclosures are not to be construed as amounting to limitations except as they may be included in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a flush tank, a discharge valve seat, a

buoyant valve piece for said seat, an auxiliary compartment in the tank surrounding said seat, said compartment communicating at the lower end thereof with the tank proper, said compartment having a port in the upper end thereof, and means for closing said port shortly after the discharge of water from the tank is initiated. 2. In a. flush tank, a discharge valve seat, a buoyant valve piece for said seat, a hollow column surrounding said seat, and extending upwardly into the tank, said column having an opening at the bottom thereof communicating with the tank proper, said column having a port at the top thereof connecting the column with the interior of the tank, and a float valve for closing said port when the water level descends sufciently.

3. In a flush tank, a discharge valve seat, a. buoyant valve piece for said seat, a hollow column surrounding said seat and extending upwardly into the tank, said column having an opening at the bottom thereof communicating with the tank proper, a closure at the upper end of the column, a guide extending upwardly from said closure, and a oat retained by said guide,

said closure having a port therethrough adapted to be sealed by said oat when the level of water in the tank descends suiliciently.

4. In a flush tank, a discharge valve seat, a valve piece for said seat, a hollow column surrounding said seat and extending upwardly into the tank, said column having an opening at the bottom thereof communicating with the tank proper, a partition in the column in the upper portion thereof, said partition having a central port, and a oat in the column above the partition, the column above the partition being open to the tank proper but adapted to retain and guide said iioat, whereby the port will be sealed by the iloat when the level of water descends sufciently.

5. In a flush tank, a discharge valve seat, a valve piece for said seat, a hollow column surrounding said seat and extending upwardly into the tank, said column having an opening at the bottom thereof communicating with the tank proper, a closure at the upper end of the column having a concave upper surface, a guide extending upwardly from said closure, and a buoyant ball retained by said guide, said closure having a port therethrough adapted to be sealed by said ball when the level of water in the tank descends suiliciently.

6. In a iiush tank, a discharge valve seat, a

valve piece for said seat, a hollow column surrounding said seat and extending upwardly into the tank, said column having an opening at the bottom thereof communicating with the tank proper, a partition in the column in the upper portion thereof, said partition having a concave upper surface and a central port, and a ball float in the column above said partition, the column above the partition being open .to the tank proper but. adapted to retain andv guide said float, whereby the port will be sealed by the float when the level of water descends suiiciently.

7. In combination, a iiush tank khavinga discharge valve at the bottom thereof, manually operableV means for unseating said valve when the tank is to be emptied, and a baille ring surrounding but spaced from the valve and extending upwardly from the bottom of the tank, said ring `having ports therethrough near the bottom,

thereof of less capacity than the capacity of the discharge opening of the tank, whereby the discharge of water is rapid until the level descends to the top of said ring and at a slower rate thereafter.

8. In combination, a flush tank comprising a vertical cylinder, a discharge valve at the bottom of the cylinder, a hollow guide column surrounding said valve and extending upwardly to a height near the top of the cylinder, said column having openings therethrough near the bottom thereof and having a closure near the top thereof with a port therethrough, and a float adapted to seal said port, said column having means above the closure for retaining and guiding said float, whereby the said port is sealed when the level of water descends sufliciently, and whereby the discharge of water is rapid until the space outside of the column is emptied and at a slower rate thereafter.

9. In a flush tank, a discharge valve seat, a

buoyant valve piece for said seat, a hollow column surrounding said seat and extending upwardly into the tank, said column having an opening at the bottom thereof communicating with the tank proper, a closure at the upper end of the column having a. concave upper surface and a central port, a guide extending upwardly from said closure to a point near the top of the tank, the tank having an air vent in the top thereof above said column, and a buoyant ball retained by said guide adapted to close said vent when the tank is full and to seal said port when the level of water in the tank l down, means for unseating said valve piece comprising a rod extending upwardly into the bottom of the tank, and a diaphragm secured centrally to said rod and at its periphery to the tank, said tank havingV a supporting element surrounding the rod upon which the diaphragm is adapted to rest normally.

1l. In ,a flush tank, a horizontal partition separating the tank into an upper air chamber and a lower water chamber, said partition having an air port therethrough, a discharge valvey seat at the bottom of the lower chamber, a valve piece for said seat, a hollow column surrounding said seat and extending upwardly into the tank to a height slightly below said partition, said column having an opening at the bottomV thereof communicating with the tank proper and having a port at the top substantially in vertical alignment with said air port and connecting the interior of the column with the interior of the tank below said partition, and a iioat valve adapted to close said air port when the water chamber is full and to close said column port when the level of water descends suiiiciently.

l2. In ,a flush tank, a discharge valve seat, an opening in the tank below said seat, a closure for said opening having a central bore therethrough, a valve piece for the seat adapted to move up and down, means for unseating said valve piece comprising a rod extending upwardly through said bore, andfa Vdianphragni having its edgesclamped v .between the closure-andthe tank .and having a` Y Water-tight connection Withvsaid rod. s Y

T13. In a Hush tank, Ya. discharge valve seait, an openingV4 in the tank` below said seat, a closure for said openingrhaving a'central verticallyextending boss, said bos's having a vertical bore therethrough,

a' Valvepieceifor theSeat adapted to move up .and down,-meansffor funsealting saidvalvezpiece f4 Y' Y t Y Y 250485674 1 Y Y .comprising a. extendingupwmdlyA tbrough Y isad'bore-,and a'rubbexfdiaphragm;having its Vedges Vclamped between `the closuegandvthe tank vandV Vhaving Water-tight"connection' withsad rod,

the inner side of said closure-having far, concave l surface to receive andsupport `said daphragmn its normal positiom, y 'f y L :A Y j Y Y Q Y, .1,IF'IwAAIKJ,IBRANITEIII.-` 

